Tigers fans are freaking out. Some are hitting the panic button, some are jumping from cliffs (and realizing half way to the ground that we’re still in first), and some are in the corner of their rooms shivering and biting their nails. I admit, I’m also a little scared.
Yet, the voices of reason are out there to tell us this, right here. Don’t fret Tigers fans, we’ve got this. At the end of the season, those people might have the distinct honor of sticking their chest out, pointing, having a hearty laugh, and saying, “I told you not to worry.”
But history doesn’t lie and all the fans that are feeling a little bit uncomfortable, and not just because their jeans shrunk in the dryer, have more than legitimate reason to be so.
It’s because Detroit does this every year.
We all know how the Tigers have been in recent history during the second half of the season.
Not good.
In 2006, we lost the division lead due to a season ending sweep to the, gulp, Royals, which capped a not very playoff-like 36-38 second half. And that was good compared to the other years.
In the past six seasons Detroit is 188-240 combined in the second half of the season. In the first half over those years they are 285-239. That’s a .439 second half winning percentage against a .544 first half winning percentage. Nearly 100-points worse in the second half of the season.
As for the final month of the season, the Tigers have had just one winning September in the past six seasons. Ironically enough, that winning September came in 2007, the year of their biggest second half collapse after going into the All-Star Break in 1st place with a 52-34 record. Without that winning September (16-11) Detroit is 48-84 (.364) in the month of September dating back to 2004. That’s not going to win any divisions titles — and it hasn’t.
On the bright side, Detroit has only been legitimate contenders in three of the past six seasons, so the numbers are slightly unfair. This September is actually the 2nd best they’ve had in the past six seasons and they currently still have a winning record during the second half of the season, which would be a first during that time.
Detroit is just 3-7 in their last ten games, but they lost seven in a row before turning it around looking unbeatable for a string of games. One more turnaround like that and this division is theirs.
Detroit has 16 games remaining and hold a 22-16 overall record against the inter-division rivals they face over this final stretch. They probably don’t even need to be that good to stave off the Twins. Barring a remarkable finish from the Twins, the Tigers probably just need to play .500 baseball. If they do that, they’ll win a division with a similar record as the 2006 St. Louis Cardinals. And, unfortunately, we know how that team did once it made it into the playoffs.
Detroit has, time and time again, proven us wrong when we begin to worry about the outcome of this season. But history tells us this is nothing new for the Tigers in the 2nd half of the season or in the month of September and should history repeat itself, these last 16 games could get ugly. Hopefully, the Tigers turn the corner and do something unprecedented of Tigers teams in the past six seasons — finish a season out strong. In the last six years, Detroit has an overall 29-50 (.367) record over the last sixteen games of the season. That won’t cut it.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
